Hong Kong watchdog warns of hacking risks from flaws in web programming language
A Hong Kong information security watchdog issued an “extremely high risk” warning on Thursday morning over two critical flaws in a widely used web programming language that could allow hackers to execute code remotely and take control of servers. The warning followed similar alerts from governments and cybersecurity agencies overseas, which urged website operators to install updates to fix the…
On Thursday, Hong Kong's information security watchdog issued an "extremely high risk" warning regarding two critical flaws in PHP, a widely used web programming language. These vulnerabilities could allow hackers to remotely execute code and take control of servers. The Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT) advised organizations to install the patches immediately, or isolate internet-facing applications from public networks until the security fixes are applied.
OpenAI credited its AI models with helping discover the PHP flaws, which were rated with a severity of 9.2 out of 10. The PHP development team urged immediate updates to fix the vulnerabilities. Francis Fong, honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, noted that popular platforms like WordPress, e-commerce sites, and enterprise portals heavily rely on PHP.
He emphasized the severity of the threat, stating that hackers could gain direct control of servers. Both the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI's Cyber Division urged immediate patching, suggesting systems be taken offline if immediate updates are not feasible. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre recommended updating to the latest version of PHP and continued monitoring for updates.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
